OUR ROOTS OF BELONGING TEAM
Isabella McDonnell
Hi 👋 I’m Isabella. I’m a dispute resolution practitioner, nature connection facilitator and writer of Filipina-American and British-Kiwi heritage. I identify as a mixed, multicultural and multilingual person of colour. My story of belonging spans five countries and five languages, so my identity was never easy to communicate to people who asked me “Where are you from?”
I was so frustrated by being asked this question countless times that I started a podcast about it. As the founder and host of Xeno, I have conversations with people from all walks of life about their stories of home, identity and belonging.
After having transformative experiences in nature (what we call the ‘more-than-human world’), I found being outdoors healing for my mental health and I now see nature connection as the direct path towards true, interspecies belonging. I wanted to find spaces where I could spend more time outdoors in community — to hike, climb, camp, surf, swim and run together — with people who had similar lived experiences. But I slowly became more aware of how many barriers exist for people of colour to access and be joyfully immersed in nature.
Launching Roots of Belonging is about creating a safe space to replant ourselves in the universe together, as mixed, dual heritage and multicultural people of colour. The truth is that we belong in the outdoors because we are a part of nature, but so many barriers exist preventing us from remembering and deeply feeling this truth.
I’m proud to be a recent graduate of the Opening Up The Outdoors changemakers programme, aiming to diversify the UK outdoors, and a member of the All the Elements Network.
Stephanie Li
Hi, I’m Steph! Despite growing up in the Kent countryside, much of my childhood was spent indoors. Fifteen years ago, I was gifted my first camera and looking through its lens my love for the outdoors began. Since then nature has shifted from being the backdrop to the subject; reflecting the change in my own relationship with the more-than-human world.
My previous career in photography gave me the opportunity to trek in wild landscapes, the kind of spaces so vast they humble your existence by pushing you to surrender to the elements. Sadly, access to these places in everyday life is near impossible for most of us, so a question arose: “How can I continue to cultivate my relationship with nature in an urban setting?“ The garden was my answer.
Now I am in training as a horticulturist. The process has been challenging, but it has opened a limitless treasure chest full of stories about plants and the communities of life they support, known and unknown. In noticing and learning about these living things that silently survive in the background of our everyday lives, I have found my connection with nature deepening beside a profound sense of belonging; a softness within my inner world that is safe and seen. By sharing this knowledge with others I hope to nurture our relationships with ourselves, with others and with nature through curiosity, awe and wonder.
Jahnvi Singh
I’m Jahnvi, a collaborative learning designer, facilitator, and cultural agent, dedicated to empowering individuals to navigate and thrive in our complex world. Over the past decade, I’ve cultivated playful and inclusive learning environments that foster resilience, cultural awareness and creativity, essential for 21st-century living.
Drawing from my own journey as a migrant, I’ve crafted spaces for exploration and belonging, where diverse communities come together to explore themes of home, belonging and purpose. My work centers on building strong relationships -- with oneself, others, and the living world -- while nurturing a deep connection to nature.
By fostering nature connectedness alongside resilience, I equip learners of all ages with the tools to dream, belong and thrive.
Julie Yip
I’m Julie! I organise events and facilitate projects that intertwine food, creativity and nature, with the aim of fostering connection, empowerment, joy and well-being, often within underserved communities.
I’ve coordinated supper clubs and exhibitions, and stewarded land in a variety of settings, from community and botanical gardens to private and social & therapeutic gardens.
To me, nature connection is about noticing and attuning to our interconnectedness with the natural world. I feel the most comforted, free, accepted and accepting when I am in nature - the ultimate sense of belonging.
Andrea Diaz
I’m Andrea, a New York City-based climate communicator. I spent my childhood in Honduras and Costa Rica, two places that highly influenced my career path in climate and conservation. Since then, I’ve lived in two other major cities before making the (rather bold) move to the biggest melting pot of them all. Having lived in four different cities and a remote pueblo, I have a strong grip on the importance of building community, and the most dependable driver of community for me has always been the outdoors.
I describe my life experience as ni de aquí ni de allá (“not from here, not from there”), a common phrase in the Latinx community denoting a lack of belonging in a singular entity. For me, connecting with nature has and will always be a constant that doesn’t ask “Where are you from?”